


Protection with a Hint of Jealousy

by PonderRose



Category: Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), Fifty Shades of Grey - All Media Types
Genre: Bodyguard, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Jealousy, Love, Love Triangles, Overprotective, Possessive Behavior, Protectiveness, Romance, University, super strength
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2020-04-05 23:18:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19050517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PonderRose/pseuds/PonderRose
Summary: Anastasia Steele is the strongest woman on earth. Despite this, she still has an overprotective father, overprotective brother, overprotective best friend, and now very overprotective boss. Christian Grey hires Ana as a bodyguard but soon discovers that he'd rather do the protecting. Based on Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. Enjoy!





	1. Prologue

"This is not a blessing- this is a curse. You will grow stronger each passing day, until you can no longer control your power. And the worst part? You and your descendants will never be able to utter a word about it. A silent, killing curse- blighting generation after generation."

800 years later-

It started with me crushing an apple with my bare hand when I was three. Now as an adult I can lift up an entire city bus with a single hand. That may sound great…. but's it not.

It's really not.

Before I begin the story, I should tell you something. I'm the strongest person- not woman, person- on earth. For centuries, all the women on my mom's side of the family have been born with this incredible power. But it's not a good thing- oh no. This "gift" is the reason why no woman on my maternal side has lived pasted the age of forty. We have short lives; very short lives.

But why, you may ask? Good question. We're strong, yes- but controlling our strength is a whole other ballgame. It's akin to running at full speed only to come to a complete stop in a second flat; that's the only way I can think to describe it. If I'm paying attention, it's fine; no running-then-stopping scenario. Contrary to what superheroes teach us, super strength doesn't work like Bob from the Incredibles or the Hulk; at least for me. No, I don't have to worry about accidently crushing a kitten while petting it or hugging someone to death. So long as I pay attention, it's ok… But the moment my mind diverges, even for a second, it becomes incredibly painful to regain full control. My muscles tense up and I can practically feel my fibres ripping themselves apart. That's what likely killed my mother, grandmother, etc. Each day our power increases and our minds can't keep up. Eventually our bodies just tear themselves apart from the inside out…. My future… Yippy.

And the worst part, I can't tell anyone. 'But Ana," I hear you say. 'You know English; just open your mouth and say "I'm crazy strong".' Ha, no! Believe me, if it were that easy, my great, great, great, great, great grandmas, aunts, or female cousins would have said- or wrote- something I'm sure. When I say it can't be done, it can't be done- regardless how well I comprehend the English language…... although like more than ninety-nine percent of my maternal family spoke German throughout history. Hmmmmm, maybe this needs further explanation.

It's like trying to talk in Latin on the spot when you don't know Latin; it's simply impossible. I know what I want idea I want to convey in my mind, but my mouth can't come up with the words. It's the strangest thing; the best way I can think to describe it is someone telling you to think "I love cats"- easy enough. But then they ask you to say that sentence in Ancient Greek or something. There's that disconnect between your mouth and your mind. Grandpa said its part of the family curse; if there even is a curse. But then again, there must be; both my superhuman strength and inability to talk about it has to come from somewhere. I'd like to think I'm too rational to believe in things like mystical curses, but literally nothing else seems plausible. This has to come from somewhere, I gazed at the palm of my hand- which by the way, looked like an ordinary, plain hand. Yeah, it has to come from somewhere….

Now, despite what you may think, this isn't a tale about me becoming a superhero or something like that. Nor is this some tragedy where I die young at the end. No, my story has a surprisingly happy ending! This is the story about how I went from the strongest nobody in the world, to Mrs. Christian Grey.

Spoiler alert: I became the first woman in eight hundred years to live past the age of forty.


	2. Strength, Thy Name is Anastasia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introduction to the chaos.

I saw her for the first time and realized how I let my world close in around me. But she…. she made me want to grow beyond my walls to where I've never been.

Christian Grey

I was lying face down on my bed. A university letter was nearby somewhere. My application for PhD had been successfully admitted! So why was I laying around in anguish? Because I'm a poor postgrad who can barely afford her Lush facemasks- barely. Three more years of this self-induced poverty, at minimum. Why get my PhD in literature and become a writer if I'm not going to live past forty? Huh, was a better use of my time than working in an office somewhere. If I only had twelve years left, I was going to spend them however I wanted- regardless of what my family thought.

Ugh, that's right; I remembered lifting my head up off the pillow. We're out of milk and since I want hot chocolate, I better go get some. Nugh. One of the many prohibitions onto me thanks to my power is driving; I couldn't drive on good conscious cause if I lost control while in a car….. Let's just say I'll never have a licence. So if I want something from the store, I have to either walk or ride my bike; peddle bikes were much safer. With a groan, I sat up, put on my jacket, and headed out. My father, twin brother, and I all lived in a flat together. Imagine being twenty-eight and still having to share a bathroom with your brother. But I'm not gonna complain; I loved Daddy and twinze… even if they were unreasonably overprotective of me.

While reading my bike along the back road, I thought about my PhD acceptance. Finally! After like ten straight years of university, I can become an author. I came to terms with my fate a long time ago; it made me pretty angsty in my late teens and early twenties, but now I just accepted it. With that, I decided to spend the rest of my life studying and writing books. More than anything, I love to write; I write mainly fanfictions now while I'm still a student. But I want to publish something in my thirties; course all rights will be left to my father and brother.

While pondering my short-yet-exciting future as a professional writer, my bike turned the bend and I saw a stopped school bus. Alright. Kinda weird it would be stopped right in the middle of the road but there was no traffic, so why not. What did catch me by alarm was a man- who appeared to be the bus driver- being currently beaten by some brute beside the stationary bus. Tiny school children were watching from the windows, screaming and crying their little brains out. Oh, mother ducker…. I sighed heavily and winced my eyes shut. I positively detest situations like these.

"I gave you a chance to leave, old man. You just blew your chance!" The thug repeatedly kicked the poor, elderly man in the chest and stomach. The bus driver was laying on his side on the pavement. "I told you leave!" Another sharp kick. "It hurts!" The bus driver cried. "It hurts? So what? Does that hurt?!" Yet another kick. "I thought so. What are you gonna do about it, huh?" Man, isn't this creep's leg getting tired. I got off my bike, propped it up, and pulled out my phone. Better to let the police handle it, if they can; they'll do less damage than me.

"999, what's your emergency?" "Yeah, hi. There's a man being assaulted. I'm at…" Imagine my annoyance but not surprise when my phone was suddenly pulled from my hand. I spun around to find another gangster standing close behind me; he held my phone threateningly. "Uh, excuse me? That's mine." "Who do you think you're calling?" He didn't sound as intimidating as I think he'd like to. "The police?" I answered honestly. Contrary to what he may have believed, I wasn't scared for me, the bus driver, or the children in the slightest. Nothing was going to happen to any of us; the fight was already over the moment I arrived. But of course, he didn't know that.

I rolled my eyes as this idiot began scrolling through my phone. If he was smart- which he evidently was not- he would have gone into my contacts or privacy settings. Instead he looked at my photos; again, like a moron. "So many pictures of flowers." "Give it back," sounding utterly exasperated, I held out my hand. He proceeded to hold my phone out of reach with his other hand and shot me a look. "You must be crazy," he took a step towards me.

"Who said you could call the cops? Do you want to die?" "I happen to be a law-abiding citizen with morals." Something I'm sure he knows nothing about. He chuckled, lifting his arm up slightly. "Yeah? Then I'm a law-abiding thug." "Look, that old man over there needs medical attention, cause your men decided to beat him up. Now, give me my phone; he needs help." "Are you the old man?" Oh my god; what kind of question is that? Was he intentionally trying to look this stupid? It helped nothing when he continued on with his "insightful" inquires.

"Are you the one who got beaten up?" "No- obviously. That's why I called the police; he needs to get to a hospital. Now, for the final time, hand over my phone," I was losing my patience. He tisked before tossing my phone onto the ground. I observed in horror was it practically cracked in half; the battery falling out of it. Oh fock! I don't have money to replace it! "Go away," he had the audacity to say to me as I rushed over to my broken baby. "You broke my phone!" "Good luck calling the cops now, hun."

Ok, playtime's over, I fired off a vicious glare. Doing my upmost best not to break the pavement as I walked over to him, I held the sad pieces of my phone in his direction. "Sir, you just broke my phone. Now you have to pay for a new one." He gave me the most incredulous expression, I would have burst out laughing if I wasn't so mad. He looked as if he didn't know what to make of me. His head turned to the side for a minute, then he stepped my way.

"Jesus, what the hell is wrong with you?" Wrong with me?! You're the asshat who just wrecked my phone. Course I didn't back down, still choosing to use my words at this point. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm a grad student; I can't afford a new phone. So you're going to have to pay for one. Do you understand?" "Do I….? You're insane! You've lost your mind! Do you know who I am?" No. He actually rolled his eyes like I was being the unreasonable one. "How can women be so fearless these days?" I don't know; how can thugs be so moronically incompetent? "Should I rip you into pieces like a rag and hang you on the clothesline?" What kind of threat was that? Like seriously, the more he opened that ugly mouth of his and spoke, the less "intimidating" he sounded. Where'd he learn to be a mobster? Probably from cartoons.

It was around this point that a fancy black car drove up along the road. It stopped behind the stationary school bus, and the driver emerged. We looked on cue to see a late-twentyish man step out of the car. Whoa! My eyes grew a tad. Talk about a fine-looking fellow; he was gorgeous! Tall, slender, handsome, and wearing a dark suit. I would have stared longer if I didn't Mr. Fail-Thug right here beside me. Oh great! Just perfect. Now I gotta protect Mr. Gorgeous- as I hereby dubbed him until further notice- from these goons too. As if guarding a whole bus full of children and bruised old man wasn't enough. Well, I guess it was really a problem for me, all things considered; but still!

The brute didn't seem to blink an eye at Mr. Gorgeous's arrival. He went on to taunt me with his ahem, "intimidations". "Look at you; you're so weak and helpless. You're such a small target, I can finish you in a second." Yeah, I'm not small; I'm 5.6, if anybody cares. But I think that's part of the curse- everyone, particularly every male, I meet thinks I'm the most helpless creature in the world. Cause you know, it's not like I'm a grown woman with an MSc. "I'll kill you." Yeah- say that less threatening, why don't you?

"Hey!" Oh god, my eyes winced shut at the echo of Mr. Gorgeous's voice. No, he can't get involved; what if he gets hurt? I have to end this and now. "Get away from her!" Mr. Gorgeous started coming towards us. The mobster utterly ignored him, still focusing wholly on me. "Didn't you hear me? I said I'm going to kill you." "Yeah, I heard you. Look, give me the money for my phone now before I…."

He actually slapped me across the face! "How dare you be so disrespectful?!" He… he hit me, my hand rose up to touch my now burning cheek. He actually hit me. The resulted in me firing off the most vicious of glares. Oh boy, he didn't like this. "Stop glaring at me." I didn't. "Stop glaring!" No, I can't punch him; that'll kill him. I can't kick him either for the same reason. I guess I could flick him. He'll go flying a way, but that's ok. "I told you to stop glaring!" Oh my god, he actually had the nerve to raise his hand up to strike me a second time. Oh, hell no. I lifted my forefinger and thumb up to flick him in the cheek.

Try and picture what occurred next- it happened really fast. I flicked him in the right cheek. Within a second, the half of his face turned complete red, tons of teeth flew out, blood poured from his mouth, and his body went flying- like twenty feet away. He only stopped when the top of his head crashed into a hauling truck's massive wheel; oops. Immediately two of his nearby lackies, which I had not seen prior, raced over to me; they were screaming and raising their hands up in the air. Oh goody; more cockroaches to deal with. They didn't get far with me barreling down on their poor feet; in other words, I stepped on their toes.

They shrieked in sudden pain. Still not satisfied with that, I pushed one in the chest with my forefinger; he zoomed through the air into the same haul truck. The next brute followed suit, this time landing in a pile of dirt the truck was delivering. Well… I guess that takes care of that. Rubbing some dust out of my hair, I turned my head and suddenly remembered Mr. Gorgeous was still there. Of course he stared with the widest of eyes, his mouth dangling open. Fock! He saw me! Oh no…. oh no; this is not good. This can't be good.

I guess the four thug- the one previously beating up the bus rider- came to see what the commotion was. Instead of looking at me though, his eyes grew at the sight of his… out-of-commission comrades. "What's happened?! What happened to you guys?! Boss? Boss!" I stopped him before he could reach the others. "Sir, you and your men need to pay for my phone," he looked so incredulous as I held the broken device up for him to see. "Who the hell are you?!" "Don't fight her!" His friends shouted from the distance. These idiots… "Sir, your boss broke my phone. I need a new one, please." "Don't do it! Don't take her on! She's crazy!" Not helping, Mr. Fail-Thug.

"You must be out of your mind!" He exclaimed. Gees; these guys steal how much money every day and they refuse to buy me something like a phone? But oh, this man had to also be a loser and lift his hand up high to hit me. Sighing, I reached up to grab it before he could strike. Well, I guess I won't be getting a new phone from these freaks; maybe Daddy will buy one for me. Oh well…. With another sigh, I proceed to bend his hand the way a hand should never bend; yeah, he'll never use it again. He out an inhuman cry, dropping to his knees. "My hand! You broke my hand!" "Sorry, I meant to fracture it; not break it," kinda. His eyes only grew more as I took hold of it again. "No! No, don't fold it!" He shrilled. "I have to put it back in position. This'll do until you get to the hospital." "No, don't touch! Leave it alone!" His scream only intensified when I moved his fingers back to the correct way. Eh, at least the doctors will have less operating to do now.

As if these human-failures were literally incapable of learning, a fifth one turned the corner with a wooden plank in his hand. He charged at me, but with me feeling done right about now, I took hold of his belt and uh, tossed him up into the air; don't know where he landed. Now then, when's the soonest I could get a new phone? Tomorrow, I guess. But tomorrow's Sunday. Hmmmmmm. "No way!" "She's so cool!" I gazed over the astonished kids all with their faces pressed up against the glass. Oh yeah, them. I should stay here with them and the bus driver until the police arrive. Wait, the bus driver… My eyes got huge as I recalled the injured elderly man still on the ground beside the bus. "Sir!" Without hesitation, I made a mad-dash to his side. "Sir? Sir! Are you alright?" He only moaned agonizingly. That's not good! Come on, medics! Hurry up! All the while, I now failed to register Mr. Gorgeous still observing the scene with the most dumbstruck expression.

"Miss, we need you to come with us." Of course.

All the thugs' cries and complaints could be heard down the police station hallway. A bunch of little kids were also being very noisy, mostly proclaiming how awesome "strong girl" is. Strong girl- yeah, ok. I was asked to wait in the hall outside the "Serious Crimes Office Unit Three" room until they were ready for questioning. I hated being questioned; there were literally so many things I couldn't physically say. Anything to do with the words "are", "you", and "strong" in the same sentence.

"No, a girl really hit me!" "She threw me! I'm serious!" "I got hit here!" "That's not right! She's not strong!" One of the cops shouted. Oh, going with that line of reasoning- ok then. But never mind him; what about Sordid? What's he going to think of all this? And worse, how am I going to explain myself to him?

The door opened, revealing more bellowing inside. Boy, I feel for the officers in charge of questioning them. "They're ready for you, Miss," this cop said in a nice tone. He smiled and held the door open for me. Taking in a much-needed deep breath, I stepped inside. My eyes immediately went to Sordid, who was standing at the back of the room; his hands were on his hips and he was shaking his head, clearly unimpressed. Greeeeeeeeat. Just one more peach to my day.

"It really hurt!" "She did it!" "I'm telling you the truth! I almost died!" Well, I wouldn't go that far. I had a "no-kill" policy since the day I was born; a moral I was born with supposedly. Yes, I know that's logically flawed but let's move on. "Calm down and sit!" The poor officer pleaded with the five weeping crooks. Poor thing, he looked so overwhelmed. "I'm not joking! I'm serious! It was her!" "Who is this "her" you keep referring to?" Cop asked. It was right about now when Sordid finally spotted me at the door. "Anastasia!" He called over to me very, very loudly.

Bad move. Everyone saw me and the thugs started falling over themselves. "Oh god! It's her!" The first one I ahem, dealt with screamed. "That's her! That's her!" Lots of fingers pointing and eyes widening in terror. Sordid rolled his eyes and motioned for me to come over to his desk. I sat down in a chair opposite him and he pulled out a statement paper. While he scribbled down my name, birthday, address, and so on, I had a chance to look at my best friend nervously. Ah Sordid. Where to begin? He was a detective for the local police force. He was also my close friend since middle school. I developed a crush on him in high school; he said he saw me as a sister… so that was that. Now here we were, ten years later. And no, he had no clue about my powers; only my father, grandfathers, and brother knew about that.

Sordid's eyes scrolled back up towards me and his mouth opened to say something. Unfortunately for us, he was interrupted by brute-number-three, I think. "Detective, kids can't lie!" Uh, what planet did he live on? "Why won't you believe us?!" Probably because you sound like insane criminals. Sordid rolled his eyes a second time and leaned in closer to me. "Ok, so you said that those guys took over the road and caused traffic?" "Yes." "The driver, Mr. Paul Logan, asked them to clear the way." "I think so." "But they declined and used force." "Yes." "And then you, Anastasia Steele, who witnessed everything tried to report the situation?" "That's correct," ah, formalities; best to cooperate. "You got into a conflict while trying to report the situation, which is why Mr. Kim Smith hit you in the face?" "Right." "And then… you… hit him back…?" "Uh…" I can say yes but that means nothing if he doesn't know about my strength.

"Is she on drugs or something?!" Well, I did want a hot chocolate. Sordid wisely chose to ignore thug-number-two's comment. "His cheek sunk in and…. four of his teeth fell out." Really?! I didn't know it was that many. "This resulted in his having a serious injury… Huh?" "She's not a joke! If she hits you, you will go flying!" Jesus! Shut it already; you're not convincing anyone. "And then you proceeded to… assault four grown men with only your hands…?" Sordid read this like he couldn't believe his own ears; I'm sure he didn't. He simply peered back up to my gaze. "Does this make any sense to you, Ana?" My mouth opened but nothing came out; that Latin-like problem again. Frik! Ok, maybe I try to explain it without reference to me…. "Uh, well, the thing is…. um… uh….."

"Oh, never mind, Ana," Sordid waved his hand in the air. This confused me at first, but he carried on. "According to the current law, young children do not have legal force. Also, their testimonies do not make any sense. The problem is….." He hesitated for a moment and I felt a coil of nerve start to grip my chest. The problem is what? "The problem is what the driver testified." The bus driver? Oh yeah! He also witnessed the whole thing…. uh oh. "Ana, if this is true, the section 750 of the Civil Act says that it's an intentional act of violence. We'll have to deal with that….." Oh lovely; I'm screwed. "If there isn't a testimony from the reporter, then….."

"You call that a "report"? Sounds more like a superhero comic to me." All heads lifted to see Mr. Gorgeous situated at the side of the room; he was looking directly at me. Mr. Gorgeous? Since when did he get here? And more importantly, why? "Who's this guy?" Thug-number- I don't know, asked. The room grew quiet for the first time since we arrived at the police station after this, allowing Mr. Gorgeous to be heard and speak freely. "If you document that report, I'll have this police force investigated. Do you seriously think nonsense like that can be classified as evidence?" He took a few steps inward. "Who are you?" The questioning cop inquired this time. "I am a witness; I'm also the one who reported the incident." He did? Oh! That's right! I didn't so I guess he must have had to. Don't know how I missed that crucial detail. And I wasn't the only one who was surprised.

"You did? Really?" A couple of brutes gasped. Shaking his head at their stupidity, Mr. Gorgeous then turned to address the children. "You shouldn't lie to police officers. And as for you," you can't imagine my shock when he spun to face Sordid. My best friend looked just as stunned as the rest of us. "Do you honestly think she beat up all those men? All by herself?" Mr. Gorgeous's finger shot out my way. "Yeah!" The kids hollered excitedly in unison. "Listen to them! They're not lying!" Thug-number-one pleaded. "Of course they're lying! Look at her! You are easily almost double her body weight. How do you expect her to push you, let alone throw you? She's not Wonder Woman."

I think Sordid had had enough by now. He gave Mr. Gorgeous a stare-down glare. "You filed the report?" "Yes, I reported it," Mr. Gorgeous answered without reluctance. "And you're also a witness, but your testimony differs from the driver. Would you mind explaining that?" "Mr. Logan was part of the incident; he's a victim. He was probably not thinking straight at the time." "Hmmmmmm, a false testimony is not a punishable act," Sordid considered this. Wait! He's actually thinking about this? I knew it was too good to be true when his glare shot back up to Mr. Gorgeous. "But if the victim requests a civil suit, you'll be called to court. Then it'll be seen as perjury and you'll be arrested." Gees, Sordid; dealing it kind of heavy there, aren't you? But he wasn't done- oh no.

"Now explain to me how those men got injured," Sordid motioned for the moaning crowd behind us. "Look at me. Say it while looking at me," I had to smother a grin when one of the brutes pointed at himself while looking at Mr. Gorgeous. He didn't seem fazed by this at all. "Them? They were obviously fighting with each other," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Unsurprisingly, none of them were happy with this, leaping out of their chairs and shouting at Mr. Gorgeous. Soon the cops joined in the screaming match, including Sordid; he commanded the men to sit back down. Even the chief of police had lost his patience at this point.

"Enough!" His voice boomed through the room. He spun right around to face all five thugs square in the eye. "A single girl beating five men? She doesn't even have a weapon! How does any of this make sense?!" "Why doesn't it?!" Uh…. "Because it's impossible; that's why!" He retorted. "No, it's not!" "Fine then! What should I do to you? Should I just throw you behind bars for self-inflicted injury?!" "Why would you do that?! She beat us up!" "We've already established that Miss Steele did nothing! Now, I want you to tell me; if you didn't hurt yourselves, who did? Who broke your leg? Who fractured your neck?" The chief kept on going. Sordid, Mr. Gorgeous, and I were all merely observing quietly from the side now.

"It was her! She did it! I'm telling you, it was her!" "I'm done. Marks, would you please wrap this up?" Chief turned around to Sordid. "Yes, sir." "If we report this, the higher-ups will fire me. To be frank, does it make sense that a girl injured five men unarmed?" And I noticed the slightest knowing smirk in the corner of Mr. Gorgeous's mouth; he was looking at me while he did so. "Hey, it's true!" These brutes just didn't know when to quit- seriously. "Marks, why are you making this ridiculous incident a case?" "They hurt a driver and tried to blame it on an innocent person," Sordid stated defensively. Awe, Sordid. "Then what do you suggest we do, detective?" "We must perform an investigation. They even have criminal records."

"That's not fair!" "Why are we being investigated when we're the injured ones?!" "Investigate her!" "This is ridiculous," Mr. Gorgeous rolled his eyes exasperated. "Ridiculous or not, it's my job to keep the peace. Are you happy, Ana?" I blinked to find Sordid now speaking to me. Happy? Why would I be happy? "If you don't want to get involved with that kind of people, stay at home and get a head start on your PhD." "Hey, wait a minute! That's not fair!" I spoke for the first time in what felt like a long time. "Well you don't have to go out by yourself like that. Honestly, are you looking for trouble?" "No! I…."

"Sir!" We all paused at an unfamiliar presence entering the room. I saw Mr. Gorgeous's mouth drop open a sliver. It was another man, a little bit older than us, also clad in a suit. He scanned around the room, clearly confused by the scenario; I don't blame him. He wasn't a cop so this would be a little jarring to see. Without another word, Mr. Gorgeous left with him; Sordid motioned moments later for me to leave as well. I think they had more questioning to do with the thugs. I followed at a distance behind the two well-dressed men.

"What happened? Why are you at the station?" Mr. Gorgeous sighed. "I've never seen anything like it in all my life." "What?" It was around now that I finally managed to walk past them from the side. I wasn't expecting Mr. Gorgeous to holler out to me. "Excuse me, Miss?" Huh? What does he want? Maybe he's looking for a private explanation or something. "It is Miss Steele, is it?" "Yes?" Satisfied with this, Mr. Gorgeous took a step forward. He smiled brilliantly; that's the best and only way to describe it. From the moment I met him, I was amazed by how beautiful, how flawless his smile was. "It's a pleasure, Miss Steele. I'd like to have a word with you later."


	3. Full of Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the family.

"Hey, Sugarcake. Anything interesting happen today?" "….. Nope!"

I brought Daddy a bag of walnuts to his walnut bakery. Yes, those are a thing. Grandpa- my dad's father- was already there too; yippy. I came in and gave the bag to Daddy. "Hi, Daddy." "Hey, Sugarcake. Thanks!" "And why are you so late?" Gonna get into it already, Grandpa? "Erm, I… was busy." "Did you get the milk?" "Huh?" "Milk? I told me you were going for milk earlier." "Oh! Oh, yeah…. uh, n-no. I um, forgot," not a total lie. "You forgot? What were you doing that was important that you "forgot"? You're a twenty-eight-year-old woman, Anastasia; not an absent-minded teenager." Kinda feels that way with you, Daddy, and twinze babying me all the time.

"Ray, what are you doing to do with her?" "Uh, give her a slice of walnut cake?" Ha! Grandpa did not like that response. Daddy gave me a wink and slid me a plate. "How can you be so relaxed?! Your daughter only has ten years left and she's not even married." "Ugh, dad," Daddy's eyes rolled tiredly. "Hey, Anastasia! You should marry someone rich; then your kids- not to mention extended family- will be taken care of." "Yeah, that's not happening, Grandpa."

"Why not? You're a young, attractive woman. Who wouldn't want to marry you?" I didn't reply, turning down to my slice of cake and poking it with my fork. Maybe a guy who'll want a wife for more than ten years?

Twinze was not happy when he got home that night. Apparently, all the thugs were sent to his hospital; although he didn't work on them, he saw their injuries. Brother stormed home furious but thankfully tattle to Daddy or Grandpa. Technically I'm supposed to hide my powers from the public, unless absolutely necessary. I'd call that situation absolutely necessary. Alex waited until Daddy and Grandpa were watching tv in the other room before having it in on me.

"When are you going to start acting responsibly?!" Alex reprimanded while I laid on the couch. "What was I supposed to do? Let them beat that bus driver to death?" "You're supposed to call the police and let them handle it." "I tried! They took my phone and broke it. I didn't really see another way… which reminds me, I've gotta ask Daddy if he'll get me a new phone." "Jesus," my beloved twin ran his hand over his face utterly exasperated with me.

"You completely crushed them, you know. But never mind them. What about you? What if you tore a muscle or strained yourself? You're getting older, baby sis'." Baby sister; Alex has always called me that despite being the same age. I smiled over at him; and I loved him for it. "I'm fine, Alex. I haven't collapsed in almost a year now. You've really helped me out there." This man actually became a doctor, convinced he'd find a cure for whatever I have. He said he's not ready to lose his lovely- and only- sister so soon.

Of course, twinze was not appeased. "But you're not fine, Ana. You're going to be thirty soon. If we don't….." I peered back to Alex from the corner of my eye to see him biting his lower lip. He was scared. "We're running out of time." That's all he said; he didn't have to say more. We both knew what he meant…. It was practically the story of my life and the constant elephant in the room. It never truly went away; not really.

"Kids, come in here! The game's starting!"

Grandpa and Daddy sat on the old, blue sofa while twinze and I planted ourselves on the floor. This was something we did regularly; watch football games together. It helped that we all routed for the same team- Amsterdam's Ajax. That was the first team Daddy saw play live. Grandpa fanned himself with a magazine, Alex had one eye on the tv and another on his medical textbook, and Daddy and I were absorbed into the game. But of course, Grandpa…. He had to be Grandpa tonight; like every other night he came over.

"You should marry a football player. Then we'd get free tickets." "Ugh, would you please stop, Grandpa? I already told you; I don't want to get married." "Yeah. Besides, there are more important things to worry about at the moment," Alex chimed in. He didn't want me dating anyone for fear that they may discover our little family secret. "Don't you want nieces and nephews, Alex?" "I want my sister," he countered swiftly. This earned him a grin; I loved being a twin, even if he was insanely overprotective.

Grandpa sighed in an unimpressed fashion. "Oh, come on. You've got ten years to figure it out. I want some great grandchildren." "Dad, enough. Ana is in no position to be having kids right now; she's starting her PhD this year." "Exactly. Who has time for kids?" I shrugged, redirecting my attention to the game.

It didn't stay on the match for long though as my iPad started buzzing. Someone was calling me on FaceTime; probably due to the lack of phone now. It was a number I didn't recognize. "Hello?" I answered, plugging in my headphones. "Hello. Is this Anastasia Steele?" I think I knew that voice from somewhere. "Yes, this is she." "My name is Jason Taylor, secretary to Mr. Christian Grey." Who? Did I know either of these men? "I'd like to meet with you tomorrow on behalf of my client." "Christian Grey?" "Yes, ma'am. He has a proposition for you."


	4. It Follows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A shadow exists, and it follows.

She was beautiful- stunning even. But she had this air of tragedy about her. A dark shadow constantly lingered behind her, mirroring her every motion. I'm sure she knew it was there, though she refused to look at it; the reality of the situation would likely be too heavy to bear if she did. It was easier to let it remain in the shadows and keep moving forward.

That's what makes her strong in a way I'll never understand. She is the strongest person I've ever met- in many, many ways.

Christian Grey

Mr. Taylor and I sat across from each other at a window seat in Starbucks. I got a hot chocolate- finally- while he ordered a large coffee. Admittedly it was awkward at first; super awkward. Eventually he set down his cup and gazed up at me.

"So, Miss Steele…. You're a PhD candidate at the university?" "How do you know that?" I asked, slightly affronted. "It's our job to know. You're currently not working at the moment too, right?" "Uh yes?" Who was this guy again? Should I be concerned? "My boss saw you yesterday and was very impressed." Impressed with what? My physical strength? The quality I literally can't talk about? "That's why he's made such a bold decision, Miss Steele." "What decision?" And better yet, why isn't he telling me this himself? I figured out by now that Christian Grey must be Mr. Gorgeous; the man who saw me fight the other day. But that didn't answer my question.

"Think of this as a preliminary job interview." Wait, job interview? Who said anything about a job? I mean Mr. Grey obviously wanted something from me, but I didn't know what kind of work he'd particularly hire me for. Well, except maybe construction work or cement-truck loader. "Uh, what job now?" "Erm… he wants you to be his personal bodyguard, miss."

A… bodyguard? Me? A bodyguard? Did that sound as stupid out loud as it did in my head? "Now before you say anything, Miss Steele, we will make sure to offer you a competitive salary. We'll even help fund your PhD if you'd prefer." "Um, sir… I don't think I'm qualified for this job," I politely interrupted. He blinked confused at me; this being my cue to explain myself. "I have no formal training to be a bodyguard." "We know that." Cause of course you do.

"Plus, I don't want a physical job. I'm a PhD candidate; my greatest asset is my mind." Well, I guess depending on who you ask. "I understand, but your mind is currently preoccupied with school, I take it. This will not be mentally fatiguing to you. And you will be well-compensated. We're offering sixty thousand pounds a year." Wait, what? How much? Did he just say "sixty thousand pounds"? That's more than full-time professors make out of university! Seeing my stunned facial reaction- which I'm sure I was wearing one- he saw greasy wheels to push forward. "Plus incentives. And we'll pay for your phone and transportation costs." Oh damn… oh damn, this is hard. Even if I just work until school starts, that'll be more than enough to cover my living costs for all of PhD. I'll get a brand-new phone to boot. And Grandpa would be really happy…. Daddy and twinze, not so much; but I'd deal with that later. I peered back up to Mr. Taylor thoughtfully.

"What's the name of his company?"

After our meeting, I went home to make myself of celebratory instant noodles. Now, if media has taught me anything, it's that being a bodyguard is the easiest job in the world. You're either in a high-stakes crime-thriller, or a rom-com; my life was more akin to the latter. All I'd have to do is follow Mr. Grey around and make sure he doesn't get hurt. Seems easy enough; most likely wouldn't have to use my powers. I mean, how often do those kinds of dangerous situations happen in real life? Wait….. then why does he want a bodyguard in the first place? Maybe there's a hit out on him. But if Occam's razor has taught me anything, that's probably not the case. He likely just wants some extra protection like all CEO bigwigs. Nothing for me to worry about, I'm sure. "Anastasia! Anastasia, where are you?!" I'm sure….

"In here, Grandpa." I didn't even look up to see my grandfather storm around the corner. "Why were you at the police station?!" "Oh god….. did you tell Daddy?" "I didn't have to! Mrs. Marks came to the shop; she said that you were at the station yesterday! Why were you there? And why didn't you tell us?!" Because I thought I might get away with it? "It's alright, Grandpa. Nothing's gonna happen," to me, anyway. "Did you beat someone up? Did you?!" I gave him a "you know I can't talk about that" stare. He didn't seem fazed in the slightest.

"Do you know how much stress you cause your father? Do you remember what happened to your mother? Her mother? And all the women on your mother's side of the family?" Weird; Daddy's usually the overprotective one. "I didn't hurt myself." "That doesn't matter! You shouldn't use your strength at all. Each day you get a little stronger, and our lives get more complicated," his old-man finger pointed right at me. "I'm fine, Grandpa; really. Besides, I got some….. different news."

"Different news? What news?"

"You got a job?!" Alex, Daddy, and Grandpa exclaimed simultaneously. We were situated at the kitchen table now, all ready to eat dinner. "Yes, for one Christian Grey. He's CEO of Grey Enterprises." "What do they do?" "No idea, but they pay super well." "Oh, sugarcakes; I don't know if you should be working right now," Daddy nibbled on his bottom lip unsure. "He's right; you should be focusing on your education. A job will only distract and put pressure on you; and physical tension is very bad for someone in your condition."

"Oh, leave the girl alone. So she has a summer job; so what? She hasn't started her PhD yet, so why can't she work now?" "Because, Dad, we don't want any unnecessary stress put on Ana. What is your job anyway?" Daddy turned to me. "Who cares? Work is work," Grandpa's hand waved around. "It's nothing physical, is it baby sister?" "Well, actually….." Before I could respond my iPad started buzzing.

"Give me a minute," I excused myself to check who was calling. Imagine my surprise to see Sordid's name on the screen. Huh, he rarely calls me; we're more texting people. "Hello?" I plugged in my headphones. "It's me," no kidding; not like I had caller ID or anything. "What's up?" "I looked into the assault suspects at the redevelopment site." Oh….. uh oh. Play it cool, Ana; he doesn't know anything about you being super strong. "Oh?" I simply meeked out.

"They're really bad guys, so you shouldn't travel late at night." Oh. Well that didn't go as expected. "Alrightly then," was all I had to say to that. "Also, carry around a taser." "Uh well, I don't have one." "I know. There's a surplus here, so I'll bring you one after work." Awe, Sordid. He was being unusually kind to me. Well, Sordid was always kind but in this mechanical, sort of dry way. That's how he was; machine-minded, a ruler-follower, but also polite and direct. Still, I didn't want him to go through all that effort for me. He did have a girlfriend, after all; and it was him to told me that he wasn't interested. "Thanks, but that's really not necessary." "Yes, it is. I'm going back to work now. I'll see you later," click. Yup, that's Sordid alright.

Oh well, I guess I'll have to tell him too eventually. I tossed my iPad onto my bed; it was previously charging in my room. Then I went to lay on my bed. Of all the things running through my mind, the one at the top was what kind of new phone I was going to get. I'd been phoneless for over a day now and was over it. Hmmmmm, I wonder if they'd let me pick one myself? Or if they'd have a company one for me. Ah, I didn't really care at this point; I'm getting a brand-new phone! At the excitement of being able to text again, I began tossing and turning on my sheets. New phone! New phone!

Of course, with me not really paying attention, I accidentally rolled onto the floor. My hand reached out to stop my fall- big mistake. The whole apartment complex started raddling like it was an earthquake. "Ana!" I heard yells from the kitchen. I had to go against my own preservation and stop my strength; my attention momentarily going to all the teaware in my room that may crack. Another huge mistake. Immediately my whole hand tensed up, the agony quickly climbing up my arm. "Oh god!" I landed onto my side, bringing my hand into my chest.

It's moments like this when I'm reminded how fragile it all is. My life can seem perfectly normal for a long time, but then one little incident will crash down that illusion in the blink of an eye. I looked at my now throbbing right hand. It seemed so normal, so like every other hand…. With a deep, long breath, my eyes gently shut as I was forced to embrace the pain. Sometimes I forget… but whether I do or not, it doesn't change the fact…. I can as normal as I want, but I'm still dying- slowly, slowly my body is tearing itself apart.

Despite it all, that follows me everywhere.


	5. Me? A Bodyguard?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Christian Grey.

There was only one word to describe her: fascinating. Simply fascinating.

Christian Grey

Mr. Taylor picked me up and drove me to the office. I didn't end up telling my family what my exact job was; they'd just end up super worried. While Mr. Taylor parked the car, I headed up to Mr. Grey's office. My suspicions were confirmed upon opening his door after knocking. It was the same man from that day. And he looked rather pleased to see me.

"Good morning." "Good morning, Miss Steele. Please, come in." So I did, careful to shut the door behind me. His office was lovely; large windows and spacy. Taking his lead, I sat down on the sofa opposite his spot. He clasped his hands together and stared at me. "Did you bring your CV?" "Yes," I handed over a stapled paper and watched as he flipped through it. "Lots of academic achievements. No real experience in the working world…." "Uh, well no. I've been in school since….." Well forever. "It's alright. Now why do you want to work here?" He asked, setting down my CV. One word- money. But of course I couldn't say that. To be honest, I couldn't really think of anything else though. "Because….. it's a good company." Nice! He'll like that, won't he? And hey, wait! Why is he questioning me? He's the one who reached out to me personally.

He must have known this was the situation. Mr. Grey looked at me for a second and then shot up his hand. "Welcome aboard, Miss Steele." Wow! Easiest job interview ever! "Thank you!" I happily shook his hand, careful to hold onto my wrist with my other hand; just in case I got overly-excited. "You must be disappointed not to be working in your field just yet." "Oh no! I'll have lots of time after I'm done my PhD," I immediately regretted announcing this….. mainly because it was not true. Still, I wore a smile to hide my inner suffering.

"Uh, actually there is something I wanted to ask you about, Mr. Grey." "What's that, Miss Steele?" He sat back a little in a more relaxed posture. "You seem perfectly healthy, so why do you need a bodyguard?" Seemed like a legit question; one he didn't not hesitate to answer. "I have enemies everywhere." Holy….. holy crap! Was not expecting that! Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. "But don't be mistaken. I'd like to think I'm not a bad person, Miss Steele." "Of course not, sir," I wasn't quite sure what to say to this. Was I supposed to think he was a bad guy? Probably now was a good time to change the mood.

"Uh, what's your company's incentives and pension policy?" Not that I'll need a pension plan; but I wanted to appear at least somewhat normal. He chuckled lightly and peered sideways for a moment. "It depends on your performance. We need to know how good you are." "Sir, I don't any training. I honestly don't know how good I'll be." "Don't worry about that," Mr. Grey waved his rich hand in the air. When he saw that my concerned expression didn't go away, he smiled at me. Once again, I found myself utterly bewildered by that smile- so flawless and striking. They should make marble statues wearing that smile.

"I wouldn't have hired you if I didn't think you were up to the job, Miss Steele." "I guess that makes sense…." My eyes wandered off into nowhere in a pondering way. "But being a bodyguard means you don't get to spend holidays." "I suppose that also makes sense… uh, is there anything else I should know about? Job-detail wise?" "We'll think about how we can give stock options for your line of work." "Oh! Ok then," I hadn't really thought about that. "Is there anything else you'd like to ask?" "You know I'm getting my PhD. That takes full priority once school starts." "I understand. What else?" "Uh well, there is one more thing…" I suddenly bit down on my lip; I didn't remember it until just now, but….. "Why did you lie for me at the police station?" My mouth somehow found the courage to ask.

I was surprised to find that this question seemed to surprise Mr. Grey. He merely locked his eyes onto mine for another second. Then, without forewarning, he sat down onto the floor and motioned me to do the same. He planted his arm onto the low table. "Let's arm wrestle." "Excuse me?" "I need to see how good you are. Think of this as your entrance assessment exam." You don't need to do this; you already know I'm strong. This is testing me more than my personal strength. However when I didn't move, he began to frown. "What's wrong, Miss Steele? Let's go."

"Erm, sir; this is really not a good idea." "Why not?" "Because I don't want anything to happen to you." "It's just arm wrestling. Come on." Well, alright; I tried to warn him. I sat down and set my arm up. Our hands and eyes locked; then, when nothing happened, he sighed slightly. "Whenever you're ready, Miss Steele." "You should go first," I offered. He looked at me incredulous for a second, huffed to the side, and proceeded to "try". Again, nothing happened. Now his grin was really starting to fade. Poor guy.

"You can use the other hand to help, if you want." "This is ridiculous!" Mr. Grey heaved. Yes, it is. He added the extra hand; did nothing. God, we're going to be here all day if he insists on winning. Realizing that, I tried as gently as possible to slam his fist down onto the table in under a second. It landed with a very loud bang and Mr. Grey let out a yelp in pain. He held his now bruised hand like he was nursing it, too agonized to look up at me. "Sorry, sir. I tried to be as gentle as possible." Without hurting me in the process too.

Mr. Grey didn't respond. Instead he straightened back up, pulled on his dress coat with one hand- the other was out of commission- and spun around to face me. Then, still without a word to me directly, he reached around the front of his desk to grab his phone. "Taylor, please bring in Miss Steele's contract." Ok well, that could have ended worse. Almost break your new boss's hand and get to sign a job contract; can't beat that. "Please take a seat," he finally addressed me once he hung up. We sat down in our original spots; I couldn't help but notice Mr. Grey's hand trembling lots. Awe, poor man.

"I have the contract here, sir," Mr. Taylor entered the office.

Mr. Grey's secretary sat beside me on the couch while I reviewed over the contract. I'm not a lawyer so I don't know the logistics of any of this, but it seemed alright to me from what I did understand. Mr. Taylor handed me a pen when it was clear I was done. "Please sign here," he motioned for the bottom of the paper. "Alright," I scribbled away. I gotta admit, Mr. Taylor looked very puzzled through the whole interaction; I don't think he knew why Mr. Grey wanted to hire me on as a bodyguard. Good! The less people who know my secret, the better. I handed the clipboard back to him and turned to Mr. Grey.

"When's my first day?" "Don't you have strong legs as well?" "Uh….?" What kind of question is that?! Well, yes; I did have strong legs- every part of me was strong. But still! Mr. Taylor also appeared like he was going to fall off the couch at such a query. His eyes widened when Mr. Grey looked at him. "Jason, try chicken fighting with her." "What?!" We both stood up in disbelief.

"Sir, I can't fight her! What if I hurt her?" "You won't." "S-sir, this is unethical. She's a young woman; I'm an ex-marine. It's not exactly a fair match." Well…. he's not wrong. "Just try it. I want to test something." Mr. Taylor sized me up with a single glance and looked back to Mr. Grey. "No, sir. I could really hurt her. I can't on good conscious….." "Taylor, if you win, I'll give you my car."

That shut him up fast. Mr. Taylor and I just gazed at one another and got up from our seats. I took the opportunity to size him up. He looked to be in good shape and probably wouldn't break any bones easily…. but one can never be too careful. It's an ethical matter, just like Mr. Taylor said. My eyes scrolled over to Mr. Grey, who was watching me now. "Uh, hold on a minute." Both men paused at my request. "Would it be… can we get him a helmet, please?" "A helmet?!" Mr. Taylor gasped almost insulted.

"Did you just say I might need a helmet?" "You might hurt your head, sir. I'd feel better if you wore one," I countered Mr. Taylor. He placed his hands on his hips and gazed up at the ceiling. "A helmet… she's making fun of me." But Mr. Grey felt more understanding; his head simply nodded a tad. "Where are we going to get a helmet then, Miss Steele?" Mr. Taylor asked in a condescending voice. I considered for a moment. "Anyone for takeout?"

"Here's your waffles, sir," the delivery teenager had the most perfect, raspy voice imaginable; fit the scene impeccably.

"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind, we'll need your helmet," Mr. Grey told him. The young man spun around to blink at him perplexed. "My helmet?" "That's right. We need to borrow your helmet." Mr. Taylor couldn't have looked more embarrassed as the teenager took it off and handed it over; after a few more words of course. My sympathy went out to Mr. Taylor, but it was better than the alternative. Mr. Grey gave the delivery boy a substantial tip for the inconvenience, then I asked that he wait outside; only us three needed to witness this. Mr. Taylor put the helmet on, and we got ready to erm, fight.

"God, I can't believe I'm really doing this." Neither can I. Of course Mr. Grey wanted to be the referee; fine, whatever. I got waffles out of the deal, so as long as Mr. Taylor doesn't get hurt, I'll live with it. "Are you really going to give me your car after this?" "It'll be yours right away. Now, on the count of three, start." "Right," we both lifted up one knee to hold. "One, two, three!"

Awe, what happened next was sad. The match was over before it begun, and Mr. Grey and I both knew it. While Mr. Taylor charged at me, I sighed and didn't move at all. It wasn't until he was close enough that I was able to lightly tap him with my leg; key word- lightly. His expression went from determined, to startled, to stunned as he went flying straight across the room. His head hit the back wall so hard that it actually cracked the wall. See, this is why I insisted he wore a helmet; his brains would be spilling out everywhere if he didn't. His body landed totally unconscious on the floor just in time for the receptionist to open the door; no doubt to see what all the noise was about.

"Mr. Taylor!" Mr. Grey and I rushed over to him. I placed his head onto my lap while the receptionist started to panic. "Is he alright?!" "Call an ambulance," Mr. Grey instructed her. We watched the meds cart him off from the CEO's office. Well, I guess that washed away any doubt Mr. Grey may have had before. I still felt horrible for Mr. Taylor and would be visiting him in the hospital later; I didn't mean for him to get hurt. I never do, but that doesn't help or stop anything.

When I swirled around from the window, I found Mr. Grey examining the dent in his wall. Oh boy; great first impression there. "Uh, Mr. Grey?" I said when he didn't move. He turned to face me. "Are you alright, Miss Steele?" "Huh?" Am I alright? I'm not the one who just got knocked all across the room. "Now that it's just the two of us, I can speak frankly to you." He wasn't before? I ask a lot of questions when I'm around him and Mr. Taylor. "Uh, yes sir?" "I want to talk about your responsibility. Now that I've seen what you are capable of, I know exactly what I want you to do." "And what's that?" "Your responsibility is to protect me. I'm entrusting you to keep me safe." "I'll do my best, sir. But I do have one favor to ask." "What is it?" "As you know, I'll be starting my PhD soon, and as I said before, my schoolwork will be my top priority then." "Go on," he nodded his head considerably. "All I ask is that if I ever need to leave this job for academic reasons, there'll be no repercussions. I'm a student first and foremost. Will that be ok?" He didn't even think about it; he simply grinned and nodded. "I understand, Miss Steele. I would never want to stand in the way of your academic progress. But understand this in turn," he leaned in closer, motioning me to do the same.

"As of tomorrow, you will be my full-time bodyguard. While you are not in school, my safety is your top priority; do you understand?" "Yes, sir." "Good. Report to me tomorrow at ten AM. I'll have a new phone ready for you by then." "Ok, thank you, sir." He smiled; another brilliant smile. I don't know why I liked his smiles so much. "And one more thing. Since Taylor is injured, you will have to run my personal office in his steed." "I can do that." "Alright. See you tomorrow, Miss Steele."

"See you tomorrow, Mr. Grey."


	6. All it Takes is One Look At Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sordid pays Ana a- brief- visit.

I look at her and I worry. She seems so small and helpless…. and pure; the perfect victim for anyone. I don't know where this surge of protectiveness comes from, but it's there.

I look at her, and it's there.

Sordid Marks

"I'm getting a new phone!" "Well that's great, baby sis'! But you still haven't told me what the job is." "Erm, I'm helping out around the office," I was busy brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed in the bathroom; twinze was hollering back to me from down the hall. "Help around in the office? You have an MSc in philosophy from one of the best schools in the world, and he has you "helping" in the office?" "Uhhhhhhhhh…."

Oh, thank god my iPad saved me. It buzzed, making me go to my room to check it. A message from Sordid was waiting for me. [Come outside quick. I'm out front] I'd gotten used to his short-handed conversations via texting. No "hellos" or "goodbyes"; just straight to the point. Alrighty then.

I came out the front door of our apartment complex to find him waiting for me. He was holding something short, thin, and pale dark green. "Good evening, Sordid," I grinned warmly approaching him. "Here," he just held whatever it was out for me. "Uh, thanks? Is this the taser?" "Yes. It's all ready to go." "Ok then! I'll use it." "What do you mean? You shouldn't have to use it," he held it out of reach for a second. Oh boy, Sordid; I have no clue why but the older we get, the more defensive he becomes. I don't understand why; he doesn't know my secret. Still, he was always looking out for me regardless if I needed him to or not. This was one of those times. He planted his hand firmly on his waist and wagged the taser at me like a lecture's cane.

"Never be in a position where you will need it." "I won't," I inwardly rolled my eyes. "It doesn't require a possession permit. It's for self-defence. Don't expect a big voltage. Anyway, I gotta head back now." Well, that was fast. Still, he did come all this way to give it to me…. "Wait, Sordid," he paused to glance at me. I flashed him a sincere smile. This man… "Thank you, for this." This man is important to me. "No thanks required. It's late; I've got to go back." He's been important for almost sixteen years now. "Sordid….?" His feet froze again, and he shot me an irritated look over his shoulder. My lips pressed together as I formulated the right words in my head. Then they parted a sliver, letting the night air flow into me. "You don't have to worry about me so much." His eyes simply met mine as he spun around to match our positions.

"It's not a choice, Ana; there is no "off switch". I don't worry because I want to…. I worry because I want you safe. Is that so hard to understand? Cause it's easy for me."


	7. Real Threats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Mr. Grey go out for breakfast.

I looked at her; I looked at her and all her female descendants…. and I fell in love with all of them. Each more extraordinary, more perfect than the last. It gave me some satisfaction to know that these angelic creatures would die young because of me.

She broke my heart, so I broke her body. I foresaw my curse ravishing countless generations; until it finally stopped at one- the one. The one who most resembled the original…. The one I wanted more than anything to press against me; to be as near as possible.

The Sorcerer

"Here is your new phone, Miss Steele. I've already added all the company contacts," Mr. Grey handed me a new iPhone. Score! It was even rose-colored too. "Thank you, sir!" I examined it gleefully. "Now, before we start, I'd like to…." He was cut off by a very frightening noise coming from the now turned-on tv. The screen was pitch black with blood red binary code zooming down it. The sound was deep and gargly, though nothing comprehensible. While I blinked wide-eye, Mr. Grey just shook his head and looked at the tv.

"I told you I'm surrounded by enemies," he said in a deadpan tone. "Do you know who sent this?" I inquired, unsure if I should. "I have an idea but can't be sure. That's one reason why I hired you. But don't worry; in the IT world, threats are digital," my boss didn't sound as convincing as he'd probably like. This man… I peered over to him from the corner of my eye. Who would be after him? And why? He seemed normal enough to me; well, excessively handsome- akin to Adonis. But as far as young billionaires go…. I didn't think he seemed shady or dangerous. If he did have connections in the underworld, why hire me then? A gun would be much better- and cheaper- protection then. I didn't understand…

"Have you eaten yet, Miss Steele?"

To my shock, Mr. Grey let me pick where we ate breakfast. I was so taken aback by this that I insisted we go to wherever he wanted; he was the boss, after all. But he was adamant that I choose, before reminding me that he "liked to control all things, Miss Steele". Except where we eat breakfast apparently. Alright! More waffles it is.

Mr. Grey ordered for both of us after inquiring as to what I wanted. We got a pot of tea to share and he informed me of the situation while I poured us two cups. "Someone's been stalking and blackmailing me recently." "And you don't know who exactly?" "If I did, they'd be detained by now." Fair enough. "You've reported this to the police, yes?" "Really now, Miss Steele. You saw how sloppily they handled your case; I don't have high confidence in our police department." I can understand that; they weren't very effective with his report back then- thank goodness.

Mr. Grey stared off into space for a moment before his lips parted a tad in a thoughtful way. "I will catch this perpetrator myself. And you're going to help me." That's not really doing it by yourself, but I catch your drift. Still, I'm not sure how good I'll be at detective work. I'm an academic with a master's in philosophy…. Actually, I might be really good at this considering my formal logic training. Besides, it's something I'll likely not need to use my strength for, at least while finding the culprit. Why not? "Alright, I will." "Good," his eyes scrolled back into nowhere pensively.

"We're already running out of time."


	8. Amazon Primer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Mr. Grey spend time together.

I can't explain it. Even though I've only known her for a couple of days, I feel much safer… better when she's around.

Christian Grey

We walked side-by-side down the busy downtown street together. Mr. Grey wanted to do some shopping and didn't want to drive. He wore a suit per usual and fancy sunglasses; I meanwhile just wore my regular old clothes. Neither of us said anything for a while, not really interacting until….

I flinched as a strong hand suddenly took hold of mine. Mr. Grey tried to hold my hand, for some reason. This startled me so much that my mouth could only dangle open. He didn't even glance at me. "Act natural." "Huh?" "We need to look like we're together." "We are together," I didn't get his meaning right away. "I mean we can't appear so obvious," that didn't clear anything up. "But that doesn't mean you have to hold my hand," I countered, quickly yanking my hand out of his. I swear I could hear Mr. Grey roll his eyes. "Who's in charge here?" "You are, but…" "Enough; stop talking and follow me," he moved out in front of me. "Alright," I did as I was told.

Mr. Grey led me to these really fancy-dress shops I don't know the names of. They were full of men's suits; yawn. While Mr. Grey conversed with a sales associate, I was designated as hanger-holder lady. My boss would pick something off the rack and hand it to me; and he picked out a lot of clothes. Oh my god… I don't know if this is a poor person thing but man, clothes shopping is boring! Honestly, I've had math lectures that were more interesting than this. And that's just the half of it. A thousand dollars for a suit? Who spends so much money on something like a suit jacket? I have a lot of trouble spending eighteen dollars for face moisturizer; I mean, I do but still! That's an easy pill to swallow in my books.

Of course I had to carry all of his shopping bags; wouldn't want to wrinkle that precious grey coat of his. Still, I was surprised to catch him looking my way while scrolling down main street again. Oh crap! Did he notice the obvious distain on my face? "I only bought my stuff." Well yeah, I mean it was "your" shopping trip. But he smiled…. he smiled at me. "Come. I'll buy you something. It's your turn now." Uhhhhhhhh, what? Why would he offer to get me something, anything? Did I really look that poor? Well… yes; yes, I did. Still though, I didn't feel right about him spoiling me like that. Employers don't usually do that for their employees, do they?

"Erm, no sir; that's fine," I tried to be as polite as possible. His Adonis smile began to fade. "Don't decline. You have to take it." Um, I really don't think I do actually. "No, Mr. Grey. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to decline. I'm not comfortable with it." "Why not? I'm your boss; I can give you perks as I please." "Well yes, you can. But…." "What do you want?" He kept on pushing. "Nothing." "Tell me what you'd like; anything." "I don't want anything from you, sir. You're already paying me enough." "You don't want anything? Nothing at all?" Gees, I don't think he was used to being told "no" before. Realizing that he wasn't going to let this go, I came up with an idea.

"Two caramel apples please; one with M&Ms and one with chocolate and berries."

Mr. Grey handed me a caramel apple on a stick. I took it, grinning at him. "Thank you, sir," mine was the one with M&Ms. Mmmmmm, my favorite! "Do you really consider this a treat, Miss Steele?" He asked while taking a bite of his. "Yes. I'm a girl of simple pleasures; facemasks, bubble baths, good tea, and on special occasions, caramel apples," I excited chewed down. "I don't know many women like you," he considered. "We hang out around universities," there was a hint of teasing in my voice, which I think he enjoyed. Mr. Grey watched me for another second before devouring his apple.

His eyes lit up upon impact. "Wow! I've never had one of these before." "Really? I thought they were a childhood staple." Well, maybe not for the super elite though. He shook his head before taking another huge bite. "This is delicious. Who knew caramel and apples would go so well together?" "I'm glad you like it! No one in my family does." "Yeah?" "Yep. I'm the only one I know who likes them," well, one of two now I suppose. Mr. Grey didn't say more, munching down on his apple; I followed suit.

We walked and finished our apples, then I took our sticks to throw in the trash. By now, Mr. Grey's mood had altered. I gazed back to see him standing firmly and still; he was looking at something in the distance. "Mr. Grey?" I took a step towards him. "Discreetly look to your twelve o'clock," he ordered in a low tone. Only my eyes moved to spot a hooded figure pacing some ways away. Uh oh; that can't be good. "Do you see?" "Yes," I said without moving. My heart skipped a beat when the head under the hood turned to face our direction.

"He's looking at us!" My voice was squeakier than intended. Then I remember: hey, wait… aren't I supposed to be a bodyguard? Mr. Grey's bodyguard? Isn't it my job to deal with punks like this? He clearly was no threat to me. To Mr. Grey, however… "Let it to me," Mr. Grey's whole form suddenly stiffened as I started to walk towards the man. "No, wait!" He caught my arm, bringing my feet to a complete halt. I gave him a confused expression, but his face was serious and firm.

"Be more natural so he doesn't catch on." Oh, I think it's too late for that. Seriously, this could be over in three seconds and…. Both of our eyes grew as the man immediately bolted off. "He's getting away!" I said much louder this time. Mr. Grey looked like he didn't know what to do; he just watched the man all while still holding onto my arm. Which brings up a good point- why was he still holding onto me? It's not like I'd chase the bad man without his permission. Still, he held on… he didn't let go of me.

"Mr. Grey, we should chase him." "We're not going anywhere." "But…" Oh great! My eyes rolled when he got onto a motorcycle and drove away. Fantastic; the bad guy got away. I shot Mr. Grey an unimpressed side-glare, but he simply motioned to the security cameras in the parking lot. It took me less than five seconds to figure it out. Ah ha! Those cameras will have his licence plate on them. Good thinking, Mr. Grey! Maybe he doesn't need a bodyguard, after all. But it was clear that he didn't think this was the case.

While driving me home, I saw Mr. Grey kept peering at me through the corner of his eye. "Is something wrong, sir?" He waited a second to answer, as if formulating the correct words in his mind. "Never approach anyone like him unless I tell you." "Ok, I won't." "I mean it, Miss Steele. I'm ordering you, as your boss, to do something like that." "I won't, sir! You're supposed to give the commands around here; not me," from a strictly working standpoint.

Was it just my imagination or did Mr. Grey seemed pleased to hear me say this? What was he? Some sort of dominate or something? Actually, that would be pretty hot if he was, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. He ran his finger under his lip and didn't bother suppressing a grin. "Are you hungry?" Ok, great change of subject there but I can go with the flow. "A little." "Make sure to eat a lot when you get home. Don't go on a diet; just eat whatever you want. Alright?" "Uh….?" Were my eating habits any of his business? Shouldn't I be able to go on a diet if I want to? "Miss Steele?" His gaze peered over to me from the corner of his eyes; he obviously was expecting a reply. Likely a reaffirming reply. I merely sighed and parted my lips a little. "Yes, sir." But wait, hold on….. did he just say "at home"?

"Uh, I don't mean to be impertinent, but aren't I getting off work early today?" "Yes. He is done for today since we caught him." What kind of logic is that? Oh well, better not to question it. I had a different one in mind. "How is Mr. Taylor's tailbone?" "One's tailbone cannot heal that fast, Miss Steele." "Well actually, I was thinking of going to visit him at the hospital. Once I get your schedule, of course." "You don't need to do that. He knows you didn't mean to hurt him," Mr. Grey sounded a little defensive, to my surprise. "You were the one who told me to go see him," plus I was going to anyway. "That's different," more irritated tone. Oh really? Different how? So it's ok to go see Mr. Taylor when you tell me to, but I can't go on my own will? "Well, what do you want me to do then?"

But instead of answering me, Mr. Grey stopped the car confused. We both looked to see a police section cut off at the street; it looked like a crime sighting. One cop held out his hand while standing in front of the car, telling us to wait. Huh, lots of police around; I wonder what happened here. Mr. Grey's head just shot over in my direction; worry painting the lines on his face.

"Hey, your place is near the accident site, isn't it?" "Accident? What accident?" I had no idea what he was referring to. "A young girl was murdered here last night; I saw it on the news this morning." "What?! I didn't know about that!" How can I not know about a murder case happening in my own neighbour? And so close to my house too…. Mr. Grey quietly stared at me for another minute before looking out the car's front window. "Why would anyone trouble this quiet, nowhere neighbourhood?" He asked no one in particular. Maybe because it's so quiet and nowhere; easy to slip away undetected. While considering this myself, I caught Mr. Grey peering my way again; the concern had not left his eyes.

"I'm suddenly hungry. Is there a good bakery around here?" He's hungry? But we just had a whole caramel apple each; those things are like a meal in themselves. I don't think this had anything to do with food. But for like the millionth time today, I chose to play along.

"If you turn that corner, there's a really nice walnut bakery."


	9. Marshmallow World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bakery time!

"Daddy? Why am I named after a Russian princess? I mean mom's family is wholly Austrian and your side is from Germany. So then why…..?" "Because all the girls on your mom's side are named after famous princesses, sugarcakes. Don't you remember your great aunt Elizabeth, and your grandmother, Catherine?" She considered this a minute. Then she looked up at me with those stunning eyes of hers.

"But why did you name me after a princess who died?"

Ray Steele

I opened the shop door for us. Daddy was behind the counter and Grandpa was at his usual table with his elderly man friends. They hung out in the bakery all the time, driving Daddy crazy in the process. And oh my god, Grandpa was staring wide-eyed at Mr. Grey from the moment we entered; this was going to be fun.

"Hi, Daddy." "Hey, sugarcakes. How was wo-….?" His sentence broke off at the sight of my boss. I winked at him and he immediately understood the situation. "I'd like two slices of walnut cake, please," Mr. Grey seemed surprised by me ordering for the both of us. As if to make sure he had some control, he quickly added: this one also, please. "Which one?" Daddy asked, leaning over to see what he was pointing at. A whole friken cake; cause you know, we have bottomless stomachs. "A-alright, no problem," Daddy clearly didn't know what to make of the man. But that's ok; Grandpa was gawking enough for two.

I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole as Mr. Grey finally glanced around the place. Of course he noticed the now three old men fixated on him behind us. His mouth opened slightly as he was clearly confused and freaked out. I don't blame him. "Here you are, sir," Daddy gave us, or rather me, two large takeout boxes. Mr. Grey paid and turned to leave; I guess I supposed to follow. But before I could, Grandpa called out to me in a whisper. "Anastasia!" "I'll tell you tonight!" I mouthed back, quickly leaving as fast as I could. Oh god, it gets worse…. While Mr. Grey got into the car and I put the baked goods in the back seat, I had the misfortune to see all three old guys pressed up against the shop's window. It didn't get any better when Daddy joined them. It's then that I realized that it may be possible to die from embarrassment. They were talking and grinning much too excitedly amongst themselves; well, Grandpa and his friends were. I just wanted to die; it doesn't get much worse than this.

Ugh, why does my family have to be so weird and crazy? Heh, not like I'm one to talk though.


	10. Hello Kate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate comes to visit.

I got home to a familiar purple pair of sparkly shoes sitting by the front door. Purple shoes….. that can only mean one thing! Practically throwing my bag down, I raced upstairs to find who I was expecting to be in my room. "Kate?!" She spun right around to face me, the biggest smile lighting up her face. "Ana!" Squealing we ran into each other's arms. "Oh, Ana! I missed you!" "It's great to see you! How have you been?" I gently pulled back to face her. "I'm well! How are you?" "Awe, Kate! I missed you!"

Bring out the facemasks!

I had just finished applying mine; Kate was always faster than me. She was currently sitting on my bed, looking all lovely with her green face. "So, you got a job as a bodyguard for the CEO of Grey Enterprises?" "That's correct!" I came to sit down in my desk chair opposite her. "Awe, look at you. You finally decided to let your talent shine through." I wouldn't exactly call my strength a talent. "Well, it will help cover my PhD tuition and living costs. Mr. Grey assured me that this wouldn't interrupt with my schooling." "I think you made the right choice." "Thanks. So long as Daddy and twinze don't find out…"

"So?" Kate grinned leaning in a bit. "So?" I repeated puzzled. "Is it true? Is he super hot?" "Oh, that! Yeah, he's gorgeous; one of the best-looking men I've ever seen." She let out a fangirl squeal. "Oh, Ana! You are so lucky!" "I guess….?" "How many women get to work for a Greek god?" "Uh, not many, I take it?"

"What's with you? Why are you all casual about this? Shouldn't you be swooning like twenty-four seven?" This made me laugh; I'd never thought about swooning over anyone before. "I don't think I'd be a good bodyguard if I was constantly fainting. No, it's not like that, Kate; he's my boss. It would be weird to have a crush on him, not to mention unethical considering the difference in power between us." Her grin grew in a knowing fashion; her eyes narrowed onto mine.

"So, you don't have a crush on him or you're not letting yourself have a crush on him?" "What does it matter? I can't like anyone…. you know what happens to the women in my family." "You have a lot of time left. Don't you think you should enjoy yourself and fall in love like normal people?" "I'm not normal, Kate," I flashed her a sort of sad leer. "Sure, you are! You're a woman who happens to have a very fine boss. And you're protecting him too! Oooooh, it's so cute!" "It's just a job," I shrugged. If I wasn't working for Mr. Grey, we'd have no reason to see each other…. The thought made my eyes unconsciously lower a bit.

"You can't shut out every man you meet, Ana." "Sure, I can. Been doing so since Sordid rejected me, which by the way, is good that he did. The last thing I need is more people getting attached to me." "And what if you don't die by the time you're forty? What if you live to be an old woman who's all alone because she never let herself love any man?" "Well, I think…" We were interrupted by my bedroom door opening. Alex popped his head inside.

"What were you saying?" I'm sure he didn't hear our pervious conversation. "Hi, Alex," Kate smiled warmly at him. "Hello, Kate. Daddy told me you were here. I just wanted to ask baby sis' how her first day of work was?" "It was good! Nothing big to report." "Excellent! Here, I'll be right back; you girls just relax," Alex left again, probably to get us all drinks. He'd come back and we'd hang out. While he was gone, Kate gazed back over to me; her expression a bit more sincere this time.

"You need to be a little kinder to yourself, Ana. None of this is your fault; you didn't do anything wrong." "I know, I know. It's just…" My eyes softened as I peered downwards. "Daddy never really got over Mom's death; same with Grandpa when Grandma Catherine died. I can't…. I can't…."

"I can't on good conscious let anyone fall in love with me, when I know that I'll be the first to go."


	11. Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another incident happens in the community.

Kate stayed for dinner. Oh, what am I saying? She's going to be here for a while. And she actually made dinner for all of us too! What a good friend. Grandpa was in especially good mood tonight too, and I had a sneaking suspicion as to why. These were confirmed by the first words uttered at the dinner table.

"So, Anastasia; is the man you came to the bakery with today your boss?" Oh boy, here we go. "Yes, Grandpa," I took a bite of food while answering. "How old is he?" "I don't know; probably a year or two older than me." "And he dropped you off on the first day of work?" "Uh, yes?" We all watched as Grandpa lowered his fork, eyes locked onto me.

"You should marry him." There it is! "Grandpa!" Both me and Daddy almost choked on our food. Alex did not look impressed at all. "Dad, what's wrong with you!?" Daddy finally managed to spit out once his mouth was empty. "This is a blessing from the universe. The women in your mother's family don't live long, but they always manage to find good husbands." "Grandpa, stop it," Alex went from unimpressed to downright disgusted. "What?! He's single, isn't he?" "He probably gay," Kate grinned to herself. "Nonsense! Don't you remember that line from Pride and Prejudice? Every rich man must be in want of a wife." "A wife; doesn't have to be me," I rolled my eyes, taking another bite of food.

"Alright! We're going to the movies!" Kate and I hollered out as we went to leave for the theatre.

We had to walk to and from the movie theatre, thanks to my lack of licence and Kate's car being low on gas. We strolled back home, arm-in-arm down the street. It was quiet at first… but only at first. The closer we got to home, the more noise and people there were, which was odd for a Tuesday night. Eventually police sirens were thrown into the mix; that can't be good. "What's going on?" We heard one woman nearby ask. "There was an incident," replied an older male voice. It was about then that we turned the corner and saw yet another crime scene. Police tape and policemen were everywhere, with crowds starting to gather.

"I heard someone died," someone said. "Someone died?" "Why aren't you doing your job?!" A guy yelled at a cop approaching the group. "Excuse me everyone. You're obstructing the investigation. Please go back home," he waved both his arms out at his sides. Kate and I didn't say anything, merely observing the scene. We spotted Sordid behind the police tape but didn't address it. He seemed to be pretty upset at the moment. And who can blame him? He's much too good for the force he's been assigned to; he probably blames him a little. Poor guy.

Eventually Kate noticed me watching me. Her eyes drifted between us, finally landing on me. Her lips parted a sliver and she gave my arm a squeeze. "Come on, let's go," she had to lead me away.


End file.
